Half to andeew j



(No Model.)

F. L. HANKINS'.

RIDING PLOW.

No. 328,026. Patented Oct. 13, 1885.

I INVENTOR @Y WITNESSES: )2Zf 79/1/4041 J0'%@W ATTORNEY I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FIELDING L. HANKINS, OF BLANDINSVILLE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO ANDREW J. HANKINS, OF SAME PLACE.

RI DING-PLOW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,026, dated October 13, 1885.

Application filed September 27, 1884. Serial No. 144,125. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FIELDING L. HANKINS, a resident of Blandinsville, in the county of McDonough and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Riding- Plows; and I do hereby declare that the following description will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature and object of this invention is to construct a riding-plow that is easy in its management and very efficient in its operation; and its novelty consists, first, in a jointed or hinged plow-frame, whereby the plow can be adjusted to the required depth and having a suitable lever and rack for holding the plowframe in any position that may be required; second, in the arrangement and combination of suitable mechanism for assisting in regulating the depth of the plow, and also provides the tongue with both a vertical and horizontal movement; third, the arrangement and combination of certain parts whereby the wheel on the landside can be raised or lowered for the purpose of leveling the plowframe, also that the operator can, in connection with a lever, use his own weight to assist in raising the plow out of the ground.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents my invention in perspective. Fig. 2 is a plan of the center of frame.

Similar letters in each figure represent like parts.

A represents the beam with the plow attached.

B represents the seat-bar, having seat a attached.

s 8 represent a bent axle which has a spindle at Q, and has the rack Z attached. It then passes through the seat-bar l3, and to the coupling-block t, where it is bent at a right angle and passes through the coupling-block t, thence at an oblique angle, thence at'right angles, passing loosely through the bearings i t on the center bearing-bar, O, and the front end of the seat-bar B. The bent axle g has at its outward end the spindle w. This axle is bent as shown in Fig. 1, and passes loosely through the coupling-block t, the inner end being fitted in a bearing on the seat-bar B. The lever D is firmly attached to the axle g, and the ratchet y is firmly attached to the coupling-block t, by which means the axle y can be turned and held in any position that may be required to level the plow-frame.

a a represent the front half of the plowframe, composed of a bent bar, the rear part of which passes loosely through the bearings i i on the front side of the center bearingbar, G, the outer side being bent obliquely and then at right angles, passing under the front.

end of the beam A, and then it is bent perpendicularly upward, the brace 0 being firmly attached to this perpendicular part and to the outer part of the same rod that passes through the bearings z i on the center bearing-bar, G, which gives the necessary strength to the frame. To this upright portion of the frame a a is firmly attached lugs c e, in which the bent axle J is loosely fitted, at the lower end of which is the spindle u. The upper end of this axle is bent horizontally outward, as shown, and has the frame m loosely fitted to the horizontal portion and having the tongue d firmly attached. The frame m being loosely fitted to the horizontal part of the shaft J,

and the vertical portion being loosely fittedin the lugs e 0, allows the tongue (I to have both a vertical and horizontal movement. The stirrup P passes down over the beam A, as shown, and is attached firmly to that part of frame a a that passes under the front end of the beam. The upper end of the stirrup passes through the front end of the lever 'r. This, by means of the fulcrum and rack 12, holds the front part of the plow-frame in any position that may be required when in operation. The center bearing-bar, O, is firmly attached to the under side of the beam A. This bar is formed as shown in Fig. 2, by which a hinge or flexible joint in the center of the plowframe is formed, by which the frame can be raised or lowered at this joint, and by means of the lever 0 and rack 11 the frame is held in the required position.

The operation is as follows: Suitable wheels are placed on the spindles Q, 20, and a. The horses are attached to the front of the beam A in the usual manner. The operator takes his place in the seat n, and by means of the lever Draises or lowers the wheel on the spindie w until the plow-frame is level. Then he raises or lowers, as the case may be, the lever 0 until the center of the plow-frame is in the right position to allow the plow to enter the ground. Then the proper adjustment of the frame a a is made by means of the lever 1", which regulates the depth of the plow. After the first bout is made the wheels on the spindles Q and a run in the furrow previously made; consequently the wheel on the spindle w, by means of the lever r and stirrup P, is lowered the depth of the furrow. Then the wheel on the spindle w, by means of the lever D, is raised until the plow-frame is level. WVhen running out at the end of the land, the wheel on the spindle u is raised by the operator as soon as it reaches the end of the furrow, to prevent the plow from being raised out of the ground before it reaches the end of the land. When the plow arrives at the end of the land, the operator takes hold of the lever 0 and raises it up, and at the same time leans back in the seat n, which causes the seat-bar B to act as a lever and assist in raising the plow out of the ground, which is accomplished by raising the plow-frame up in the center.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a riding-plow, the jointed or hinged plow-frame constructed as shown, consisting of the bent axle s 8, center bearing-bar, 0, frame a a, brace c, in combination with the lever 0 and rack Z, substantially as shown and described, for the purpose set forth.

2. The arrangement and combination of the frame a a, brace c, beam A, stirrup P, lever r, rack 12, bent aXle J, pivoted frame m, and tongue d, substantially as shown and described.

3. The arrangement and combination of the bent axle s s, bent axle g, lever D, ratchet 3 seat-bar B, lever 0, and rack Z, all operating substantially as shown and described, for the purpose set forth.

' F. L. HANKINS.

Vitnesses:

F. J. PRICE, R. L. OOOHRAN. 

